A/N: This will probably be the final chapter of 2021. Hope you enjoy it and hopefully we make it into 2022 so there can be more of this series later. Sorry it couldn't fully be a Ben and Gold chapter like some of you guys wanted, but you guys could kinda see them together for the most part because of the episode that this chapter is based on. Enjoy!
The school carnival was a huge success for everybody involved with it, especially for the school to appease the wishes of Principal Hoffman. Everyone had gone home for the night after finishing up, except for maybe Carlos who was invited to sleep over with Jane for personal reasons especially when he mentioned he didn't even have a pillow to sleep on. Both were equally shy and bashful about the invitation, but both very secretly relieved that it had been set by them and Jane had to persuade Mother Superior very hard to let Carlos stay over even if the older woman was concerned about Jane bringing a boy in the church alone. Both of them had convinced themselves that it was just a dream, but that was very much actually not the case. Dee Dee's chatty excitement could be heard all throughout the church to Mother Superior and the other sisters, especially Astrid as she talked about what she did at the carnival with Henry. Everybody pretty much humored her and soon Mother Superior suggested that Dee Dee should go and tell Jane about it so that she could "take a break".
"Hey, Jane? Did you go to the carnival too? It was so much fun and I can't believe how much fun I had especially with Henry, Evie, and Doug, and then we-" Dee Dee said before she came into the teenage girl's private bedroom and soon saw something rather surprising.
Jane and Carlos were both wide awake and were in the same bed. Sure, they had pajamas on, but they were startled to be seen together like this, especially to a pair of innocent eyes.
"Hey... What're you guys doing in a bed together?" Dee Dee asked. "Is that allowed?"
"Erm... Uh... W-W-We were just... Uh... We were just..." Jane began to stammer, unsure of what to say in response to Dee Dee's constant curiosity.
"We had a sleepover together." Carlos quickly finished for Jane.
Jane looked wide-eyed as she looked back at the boy then. Carlos then shrugged in defense and response as that was true and they were too young to do anything else, especially having been taught rather frightening lectures in Health Class.
"So you can sleep in the same bed together if it's a sleepover?" Dee Dee then asked.
"Sure you can!" Carlos replied, though his voice cracked a bit from both nerves and the dreaded case of puberty. "Ahem... It's okay, Dee Dee. You don't have to tell anyone about what you saw, but just know that no one is in trouble."
"Ohh... Well, oki then..." Dee Dee said. "I'ma go down and get some breakfast now!"
"Okay... You do that..." Jane grinned and nodded. "We'll be right down very soon."
"Y-Yeah, really soon!" Carlos then quickly added. "You go on ahead without us."
"Oki!" Dee Dee then said before she darted off suddenly then.
Jane and Carlos watched Dee Dee run off together before they soon looked at each other and laughed a little before falling back against the bed in relief as they sighed. "Kids..." they then sighed together even though they were both 14.
"Boy... Kids are pretty easy, huh?" Jane replied.
"Mm-hmm... They sure can be..." Carlos nodded in agreement.
"I-I mean... We're not even boyfriend and girlfriend," Jane then said as that unintentionally stung Carlos in the stomach as he looked back at her with a pout and big, almost sad looking puppy dog eyes. "Why would we share a bed together for more important things like that when we're not even dating?"
"Heh... I dunno... Ya got me..." Carlos chuckled sheepishly and nervously in response with a weary smile in response.
Jane nodded until she then sensed the boy's tone suddenly. "...Carlos, are you okay?" she then asked in concern. "Did I say something to offend you?"
"Hm?" Carlos blinked as he looked over. "Oh, no, no... I guess I'm just real tired from what happened last night. We all had a pretty big day."
"Yeah... We did..." Jane agreed with a nod. "Well, we better get you up and ready to go back home. Are your parents back from their vacation yet?" she then asked softly.
"Not yet... Maybe soon... Maybe they'll bring me back a starfish," Carlos shrugged in response. "By the way, Jane? Thanks for letting me stay for the night."
"You just sounded so lonely last night," Jane replied softly. "So it was the least I could do."
"Well, I appreciate it," Carlos said as he sat up and went to get out of his side of the bed to go into Jane's private bathroom. "I should do something nice for you in return."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, Carlos." Jane replied softly.
"I want to," Carlos insisted with a nod. "I guess your sweetness is expected though. You were raised by the nuns after all."
"Yes... They've all been like family to me for so long," Jane replied. "Especially Mother Superior."
"And she's not even your mother?" Carlos then asked, just making conversation.
"No... She isn't, but she's been like one to me ever since she and the other sisters found me on their church doorstop," Jane replied. "They just say my mother disappeared from existence overnight until they found me, luckily protected from the dark and rainy night and I never even knew my father or where he might even be." she then added before checking her phone briefly as Carlos was flushing and then washing his hands before she squeaked and put her hand to her mouth to see some out of town news that caught her off guard for a bit.
"Well, at least you come from a very nice and loving family," Carlos said softly as he left the bathroom after using a towel to dry his hands. "It's hard having a woman like Baroness von Hellman for a mother."
Jane looked a bit surprised as she put her hand to her face to hear about Carlos' mother, but for another reason.
"I guess I'll survive though as much as I can," Carlos then said before he came back into the room. "Your turn."
Jane just kept staring at Carlos in silence.
"...What?" Carlos then asked before he reached out to scratch one of his cheeks. "Do I have something on my face? ...If you see spots, I promise that those are just freckles."
"...Your parents are Baron and Baroness von Hellman?" Jane soon asked wearily.
"...Yes, they are," Carlos slowly nodded in response like it was obvious. "We live in that place called Hellman Hall that the other kids just call 'Hell Hall'. That's even my name, Carlos Hellman." he then added, feeling confused at her seemingly confusion.
"Oh... Carlos... I'm so sorry..." Jane then said softly.
"...For what?" Carlos then asked.
Jane took a deep, shaky breath before she looked down at her phone and then looked back at the freckled boy in front of her. She then held out her phone to show him what was on her mind, feeling a bit too pained to tell him herself phsycially. Carlos glanced at Jane before shrugging and he then checked her phone before he instantly felt his heart have a sharp pain in it. He looked a bit sad, but not overly so, but it was still a negative emotion nonetheless.
"Carlos, I'm so sorry... This must be why they were taking so long to come home..." Jane then said softly.
"I-It's okay..." Carlos said as his voice sounded softer than it was before. "I-I-It's really, okay, Jane... I... I just need a glass of water..." he then said before he tried to get back up and walk back over to the bathroom before he suddenly fainted in the middle of the floor before he got there.
"Carlos!" Jane yelped as she whipped the blanket off of her body and rushed over to the boy, kneeling next to him and trying to pat his face to wake him up. "Carlos, wake up! It's okay... It's okay..."
Mother Superior was walking by Jane's room before she stepped back over briefly as she overheard the small commotion going on. "Jane? Is everything okay in there?" she then asked out of concern.
"Mother Superior, Carlos fainted," Jane explained as she looked over to the woman. "Can you help me help him?"
"Yes, dear. Of course," Mother Superior nodded as she rushed away. "I'll go get some water and I'll get some of the others to help!" she then said as she went to get some help.
"Thank you!" Jane called back before she looked down at Carlos in concern. "Oh, Carlos... I'm so sorry I had to tell you that... I just hope that you forgive me when you wake up."
Carlos didn't respond as Jane moved his head over to her lap as she sat with him until Mother Superior would come back with help. Dee Dee was getting ready to head out. She saw the sisters dashing off to a certain room and wondered what that was all about, but just as she was about to explore...
"Can you read me? Come in, Dee Dee!" A familiar voice called.
Dee Dee then looked around before she went into her room and then heard the walkie-talkie she put between her snowglobe and nutcracker doll. "Hello? Henry?" she then responded as she used the walkie-talkie.
"August needs our help for a mission at Mr. Gold's shop," Henry's voice replied. "Meet us down there unless you're really busy. Over."
Dee Dee looked over as the sisters were too busy to pay attention to her before she nodded and picked up her nutcracker doll to put in her backpack for now. "I'm coming," she then responded. "Under."
"No, Dee Dee. It's over. Over." Henry then replied.
"Operation: Cobra is over?" Dee Dee asked out of concern.
"No," Henry could be heard laughing a little, though not at a way to mock her. "You're just supposed to say over when you're done with a walkie-talkie transmission."
"Ohhh..." Dee Dee blushed once she understood then.
"Right... So we'll meet you down at Mr. Gold's shop," Henry then said. "Make sure that you come alone. Over."
"All right, I'll meet you guys over there," Dee Dee then nodded before she paused. "...Over." she then quickly added.
"Oh, good! You did a lot better that time," Henry said. "Good job, Dee Dee."
"Thanks, Henry!" Dee Dee beamed in response.
"All right. Signing off until we see you at Mr. Gold's shop then." Henry then said.
"Right." Dee Dee nodded before they both signed off and went to get ready for their mission together with August.
Mother Superior and the sisters soon continued to tend to Carlos while Jane bit her lip, feeling very sympathetic and sad for the boy who had to hear some rather hard-to-swallow news.
Meanwhile, August and Henry were on the street across from Mr. Gold's pawnshop. They waited around before looking over as Dee Dee was soon rushing right over to them.
"Here she is." Henry then said before nodding.
"Good." August replied.
"I-I-I'm here..." Dee Dee panted as she rushed over to the two. "Sorry I'm a little late, Henry."
"That's okay," Henry replied. "You came at a very good time."
"So what's the plan?" Dee Dee then asked.
"August says he's going to help make Emma believe the truth about Storybrooke," Henry explained. "I don't know why or how though."
"Grown-ups are confusing," Dee Dee said before she looked over. "So I get to help too?"
"Yes, you'll help Henry while I'll go do what I have to do." August replied.
"Right." Henry and Dee Dee replied as they had an important task.
"It's almost 9:00. You all set?" August then asked the kids. "You know what to do?"
"Operation: Cobra is always ready," Henry replied, though he looked a little hesitant. "I just-"
"You just what?" August then asked.
"I don't understand what this has to do with getting Emma to believe." Henry then continued.
"Yes! What does it mean?" Dee Dee added.
"Sometimes, other priorities assert themselves," August replied. "Can you handle a little improvisation?" he then asked.
"Yeah. Can you?" Henry replied with a nod.
"What's... Improve-sensation?" Dee Dee asked out of confusion.
"I'll tell ya later," Henry told Dee Dee. "Just do what I do when we get in there."
Dee Dee paused before she then nodded.
"We're a go." August then said to them.
"Time to go then?" Dee Dee then asked Henry.
"Uh-huh." Henry nodded before he took Dee Dee by her hand and then ran across the street to enter Mr. Gold's shop.
The door bells jingled and soon the two kids were inside the shop.
Dee Dee looked a bit shy and nervous like the schoolgirl she was. "H-H-H-Hey, M-M-Mr. Gold." she then stammered bashfully.
"Good morning, children," Mr. Gold greeted rather warmly. "What can I do for you?"
"We wanna get a gift for Ms. Blanchard." Henry then explained quickly, knowing Dee Dee wouldn't be as quick on her feet as he was.
"Oh, I see." Mr. Gold nodded.
"Since, she didn't kill that woman." Henry then added while Dee Dee tried to go along with what he was saying even if she had tummy butterflies while being around Mr. Gold.
"Good thinking." Mr. Gold nodded.
And as the two kids distracted Mr. Gold, August entered the shop through the back door.
"Are these bells? Cool." Dee Dee soon asked shyly.
"See anything you fancy?" Mr. Gold then asked the kids.
Henry then continued to discuss purchasing a bell with Mr. Gold, while August searched through the pawnshop out back before he was suddenly caught snooping.
"Who are you and what are you doing?"
August then flinched and turned around to see a rather young face which was not Mr. Gold, but his teenage son who deeply contrasted to his father's demeanor.
"May I help you?" Ben asked as he just gave August a rather long look.
August looked very surprised to see Ben before he looked a bit nervous until he came up with a rather quick lie. "Yeah. I'm looking for some maps. I'm a bit of a collector." he then explained.
"Interesting hobby," Ben nodded. "Well, I hate to break this to you, but the maps are out there in the shop. This is my father's office."
"I thought this was the entrance?" August replied then.
"...Usually the entrance is in the front with the open or closed sign," Ben then said, narrowing his eyes as he looked a bit shifty towards August. "Why are you really here?"
"Erm... Uh... I... Uh... Gotta go!" August said before taking off suddenly.
Ben watched August go and just raised an eyebrow as he very much looked like his father then with a very small and sort of bitter frown on his face. He then shook his head as he felt very unsure about that before he flinched and gasped, clutching his chest suddenly.
"Was there a problem back here, Benjamin?" Mr. Gold suddenly asked before he smirked slightly to see his teenage son's reaction. "Oh, I'm sorry... Did I startle you?~"
"T-T-That's not funny, Dad!" Ben gasped and panted. "You know that scares me!"
"I just want to keep you sharp for your future," Mr. Gold chuckled. "Young Henry and Dee Dee were just here getting a bell for Ms. Blanchard."
"Heh... I just hope you didn't sell the one for your door," Ben said, trying to make a joke. "How else would we know customers are coming to visit us?"
"No, I didn't sell the bell on my door," Mr. Gold replied, giving his son an amused smirk. "At least they're in a better mood now since Ms. Blanchard is innocent about Mrs. Nolan."
"I felt bad that she got in trouble," Ben sighed about Ms. Blanchard. "She would never hurt anybody. She loves children and animals more than anything and I'm not very fond of Mr. Nolan's wife anyway. She's kind of a-" he then stopped himself before he got wide-eyed. "Uh! Ah... Uh..."
"Finish that sentence carefully, Benjamin~" Mr. Gold warned with a smirk before he took out a bar of soap.
"...Pain," Ben then quickly covered up. "Mrs. Nolan is kind of a pain."
"Good boy," Mr. Gold smirked in approval. "Now since you're back here, why don't you do a little inventory until lunch?"
"...Sounds good, Dad," Ben then said with a nod. "I love doing inventory. It's my favorite thing in the whole wide world!"
"Okay, you don't have to suck up to your father," Mr. Gold chuckled before he gave Ben some paper and a pen. "Just remember. If anything happens, you own this store from now on and you have all responsibility."
Ben sighed in response. "Yes, Dad..." he then agreed with a nod before he walked off. "Of course, Dad."
Mr. Gold nodded before he stepped out and went to get back to work on his own now that August, Dee Dee, and Henry were gone. However, once Ben was in the back for inventory, Regina came to visit the pawnshop.
"You broke our deal." The woman coldly told Mr. Gold once she saw him alone.
"I broke one deal in my life, dear, and it certainly wasn't this one." Mr. Gold retorted.
"Kathryn was supposed to die, and Mary Margaret was to get the blame." Regina then said.
Ben looked wide-eyed as he overheard that before he stepped closer over behind the curtain, but tried to keep himself invisible so no one would catch him and punish him for eavesdropping.
"Yeah, murder seems so much worse here, though, doesn't it?" Mr. Gold then replied to Regina. "You can't just turn someone into a snail and then step on them, can you? You didn't say 'kill her'. We agreed that something tragic should happen to her. Now, abduction is tragic."
"What...?" Ben whispered to himself in horror.
"The intent was perfectly clear." Regina then told Mr. Gold.
"Oh, let's not talk about intent," Mr. Gold replied as Ben continued to listen in. "Intent is meaningless."
"Intent is everything." Regina retorted.
"Please." Mr. Gold nearly snarled at her in response.
Regina blinked, feeling a bit disturbed by his tone before she quickly gathered her nerves and spoke up again. "This is going to raise all kinds of questions about where she was and how the test results were fake." she then defended.
"Oh, yes. And, um... And who put the key in her cell." Mr. Gold reminded sardonically with a nod.
"It's all going to lead to me, isn't it? You bastard," Regina replied before glaring. "This doesn't make any sense. You and I, we've been in this, together, from the start. Our children grew up together." she then added.
"Oh, have we?" Mr. Gold smirked.
"You created the curse for me," Regina replied as Ben looked even more shocked and wide-eyed. "The curse that brought us here, and built all this."
"Curse...?" Ben whispered to himself.
"Yes, it's about time you said thank you." Mr. Gold then told Regina.
"Why did you do it?" Regina then asked.
"Well, you're a smart woman, Your Majesty. Figure it out." Mr. Gold scoffed in response.
Ben tilted his head a little before he flinched and hid further behind the curtain. Luckily, his father didn't come right inside and catch him in the act for eavesdropping, but he soon looked like he had millions of questions running through his head right now, but he felt like he would get none of the answers if he asked.
At the Mills' household, Evie was shown to be sketching alone in the living room with a sketchbook. She sighed a little as she looked like she was designing an outfit that looked like a dark blue princess dress with red fingerless gloves and a golden/silver tiara with ruby red hearts all around it. "...Now who would wear something like this?" she then wondered thoughtfully. She then looked over and saw the front door open and close as Dee Dee and Henry came through it.
"Hey, Evie." Henry said.
"Hey, Henry... I was wondering about you," Evie replied. "Did your secret mission go okay?"
"Yeah, I think so, but I'm not sure," Henry said before shrugging. "Can Dee Dee stay over for a little bit?"
"Do Sister Astrid and Mr. Leroy know that you're here?" Evie then asked Dee Dee.
"Yes?" Dee Dee replied softly.
Evie looked slightly unsure about that answer. "...Well, okay, as long as you guys stay out of trouble," she then said. "Maybe I can order us something to go from Granny's if you guys are good for lunch~" she then said playfully.
"Granny's does delivery?" Henry then asked.
"Yeah... Ruby feels silly about it, but she delivers door-to-door now since Granny's is a pretty popular restaurant in town," Evie replied with a nod. "Though I don't have to tell you two that."
Henry and Dee Dee laughed a little as that was rather obvious to anyone who lived in Storybrooke. Though, it also seemed to be more proof that Ruby was Little Red Riding Hood since she was making food deliveries for people since that was what Little Red is best known for in her story to her grandmother's house in the woods.
"Whatcha drawin', Evie?" Dee Dee then asked as she stepped over.
"Oh, just something that's been on my mind for a while," Evie said with a shrug before showing her sketchbook drawing. "What do you think?"
"Really looks like something perfect for a fairy tale ball." Henry commented.
"Fit for a princess." Dee Dee added.
"Aww... Thanks, guys," Evie said with a small smile. "I really wanna be a fashion designer when I grow up."
"That sounds like a very nice job for you, Evie." Henry replied.
"Thanks, Henry." Evie said.
"Wait, you won't be a mayor like your mother?" Dee Dee then asked. "You're The Evil Queen's daughter, wouldn't that make you The Evil Princess?"
"Evie is a lot of things, but she definitely isn't evil." Henry told Dee Dee softly.
"Thank you, Henry," Evie replied as she hugged her sketchbook with a forlorn sigh. "Also, I don't know how to tell Mom yet, but... I really wanna be a fashion designer. It's my niche."
"I hope that doesn't hurt." Dee Dee then said.
"No, Dee Dee. A niche is just something you do that you like to do like a hobby or a passion," Evie explained. "Like your dancing. Henry tells me you're a very wonderful ballet dancer."
Dee Dee blushed a bit before nodding. "I like to think that I am." she then said.
"So that would be your niche like my niche is fashion," Evie replied. "And Henry's niche is... Uh... Um..." she then paused as Henry didn't seem to have much going for him just yet.
"Operation: Cobra?" Henry suggested.
"Well, probably something like that, yeah," Evie nodded. "Though, how about we play some games since we all have the day off after that school carnival and I'll order something from Granny's for lunch."
"Thanks, Evie. That sounds great," Henry replied. "Also, did Mom ask about me?"
"She was in a rush this morning," Evie said. "No worries about her today, though I told her that I'd watch you today since she was pretty busy today."
"Thanks, Evie. You're the best." Henry replied in relief.
"I try anyway, so thank you." Evie smiled.
Henry and Dee Dee smiled back as they went to get settled back into the house.
"Oh, by the way, do you guys wanna go to Ms. Blanchard's party later?" Evie then suggested. "I thought that you'd like to see her."
"Ooh! Can we?" Dee Dee beamed hopefully in anticipation.
"It's fine by me, just as long as you want to go." Evie reassured.
"Well, I don't see anything wrong with that," Henry replied. "We'd love to go. Right, Dee Dee?"
"Yeah!" Dee Dee beamed. "I've missed her so much... I hate that she got in trouble for hurting that Mrs. Nolan lady~"
"Yeah, me too... Ms. Blanchard was always really good to us kids," Evie nodded as she put away her sketchbook and decided to order lunch for everybody. "How about grilled cheese sandwiches with fries and a little dessert?"
"Can I have chocolate?!" Dee Dee gasped.
"If you'd want~" Evie giggled in amusement as she took out her phone. "Cupcake? Cake slice? Or ice cream cup?"
"Yes!" Dee Dee replied.
"You have to pick one, Dee Dee!" Evie reminded with a giggle.
"Aww..." Dee Dee pouted before she thought about it for a moment until she had a new confirmed answer. "Cupcake then!"
"I think I'll just have a chocolate chip cookie." Henry then decided for himself.
"Okay, sounds good," Evie nodded as she got ready to call Granny's. "I'm sure that it will be on its way very soon. You guys go get a game ready and I'll be right with you in a few minutes."
"Okay!" Henry and Dee Dee replied as Evie then got her phone ready as they went to go in the other room for the time being.
Evie smiled before she soon took out her phone and ordered lunch for all of them in the form of grilled cheese sandwiches.
Later on, it was soon time for the party after Evie hung out with Dee Dee and Henry, playing some games together, eating their lunch, and even watched a couple of movies. Evie was sure that her and Henry's mother wouldn't be attending the party, but she just decided not to let that bother her as she looked forward to seeing Ms. Blanchard, especially under better circumstances. At the Blanchard loft, most of the citizens of Storybrooke are gathered for the woman's welcome home party. Ms. Blanchard and Emma were at the punch bowl, watching everyone.
"Hi!" Granny greeted.
"Hey. How are you?" Archie replied, going to share some punch with Granny. "Would you like some?"
"All of these people... Just to welcome me home?" Ms. Blanchard remarked in surprise.
"You've got a lot of friends." Emma nodded.
"Didn't feel like that yesterday," Ms. Blanchard replied before she left to go and serve drinks. "Here you go."
Thank you." Ben said as he made it to the party to have some punch since his father brought him over.
Off to the side, Henry, Dee Dee, and August were talking and watching Mr. Gold from afar.
"How bad was it?" Henry asked quietly.
"Getting caught in his office? Not bad since his son was there," August replied. "I played it off."
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Dee Dee then asked.
"Nope, but I have a feeling it's gonna find me," August replied before he then spotted Ms. Blanchard before he looked back at the two youngsters. "There she is. Why don't you give her your present?" he then suggested.
Henry and Dee Dee nodded before they went to approach their teacher.
"Ms. Blanchard?" Dee Dee spoke up, prompting the woman to answer before turning around to see the two kids.
"Hey. We have something for you." Henry added before giving a present and Dee Dee held out the giant card.
"Well, thank you," Ms. Blanchard smiled as she took the card before opening it up and saw a cute note written in crayon just for her. "'We're so glad you didn't kill Mrs. Nolan'."
"It's from the whole class, and I got you a bell." Henry replied.
"I helped!" Dee Dee added.
"Thank you," Ms. Blanchard smiled fondly at her two students. "Tell everyone I'll be back soon."
"We will." Henry promised.
Meanwhile, Evie was wandering around a bit before she looked around and saw Melody sitting alone as she was sniffling a bit sadly. Evie frowned and soon decided to go and have a word with her good friend. "Mel-Mel?" she then called gently.
Melody blinked before looking over. "Oh. Hey, Evie." she then said softly once she saw her friend.
"Are you okay?" Evie asked in concern before she decided to sit down with the other girl.
Melody sighed and huffed before firmly pouting as she glanced over to the side. "Boys are stupid." she then spat out.
Evie raised an eyebrow at that before she looked where Melody was looking and then saw the boy known as Alex dancing with a blonde girl in an orange dress who was known as Diana Odense. She then frowned and shook her head before looking back at Melody. "I'm so sorry, Melody. You must be feeling so crushed right now."
"You have no idea..." Melody sulked. "I've liked Alex Seacrest for the longest time and we even began to hook up at that Hell-Raiser... He then asked to meet him at the school carnival, but he never showed up."
"Aw, Melody... That really sucks. I'm so sorry." Evie frowned softly.
Melody sighed and sulked before burying her head against the table in defeat. "I'll never have a boyfriend. My life is over!" she then sulked.
"Melody... It's okay..." Evie said. "You don't need a boyfriend to be happy and even Mal thinks that boyfriends are overrated."
"Neither of you two has boyfriends though," Melody pouted as she looked back up at Evie. "So you don't understand."
Evie sighed as she tried to be there for Melody, but it was a little hard right now. She understood the other girl's pain though as she felt a similar pain to when she thought she and Chad were soulmates until she managed to see right through him and wished that there was something she could do, but she wasn't sure what could happen. However, it was soon time to stop wondering as a certain boy walked over.
"Afternoon, ladies," Piper said as he stepped over with a small smile. "Nice seeing you here."
"Hey there." Evie said, giving Piper a rather patient smile.
"Piper Geiger..." Melody whispered once she saw the boy.
"Yep! That's my name, don't wear it out," Piper chuckled as he grinned at the girls. "I was just exploring and wondering what to do for fun around here. Wanna hang out?"
"Oh, we'd love, but Evie and I were just talking right now." Melody replied.
"Oh... Okay then," Piper said with a shrug. "Cool. Whatever, I guess I'll go see if I can find any other boys to talk to."
"Actually, I think I need to check on my little brother for a little bit," Evie then said before she stood up. "Why don't you two talk for a little while until I get back?"
Melody slowly faced Evie with wide eyes and looked like she was a fish with a hook caught in her mouth. Evie just shrugged and flashed a small smile before winking at Melody as maybe talking to someone else, namely a boy, would help get her mind off of Alex for a little while.
"Uh... Cool then..." Piper chuckled with a small smile. "All right, Melody. Why don't we talk while Evie goes to tend to big sister duty?" he then suggested.
"Um..." Melody stammered before Evie walked away from the two right away before she shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
Piper nodded before he went to sit where Evie sat so that he and Melody could talk with each other for a little while.
Ben looked over, a bit concerned from where he stood as he shook a chill down his spine suddenly.
"Hey, Ben. Nice party, huh?" Evie asked her childhood best friend.
"Huh?" Ben blinked before looking over and then nodded at Evie. "Oh, yeah. Pretty good."
"Are you okay, Ben?" Evie then asked. "You seem a bit distracted right now. Is this because of Mal?"
"Ah, I'm trying not to worry about Mal for a while... I kinda went 'Beast' on her at the school carnival," Ben replied. "It's a long story, but I'll tell you about it later, okay?"
"Sure, Ben," Evie nodded as she respected his privacy for now. "It's good to see you out and about and enjoying yourself for once though."
"Well, you know my dad keeps me busy," Ben chuckled sheepishly as he nodded while taking a drink of his punch. "It's good to see you out too."
"And I'm very glad to be apart of this for Ms. Blanchard," Evie replied. "She was always a good teacher to us when we were kids and it's good that kids like Dee Dee and Henry get to enjoy her too."
"And she hasn't even aged a day since then." Ben remarked, making a slight joke before laughing a little as he sipped some more punch.
Evie looked thoughtful at that comment even though she knew that Ben was making a joke. That was a very good point... It seemed like a lot of time had gone by in Storybrooke and yet the adults seemed to never age, though that was probably because the kids were just growing up and changing while the adults never really changed unless they were aging decades as opposed to singular ages and going through puberty.
"Evie, we have to go now," Henry soon told his sister before looking over. "Hi, Ben."
"Hey, Henry. What's up?" Ben asked with a small smile.
"Oh, you know. Same old, same old." Henry replied.
"That's good..." Ben nodded. "School going okay?"
"School's school." Henry replied.
"Aww... Feels like we just got here..." Evie pouted a little. "Well, okay, Henry. We better go so Mom doesn't worry."
"Right." Henry nodded.
"Nice catching up with you, Ben." Evie then said before she went to get ready to leave with Henry.
"Catch ya later then, Evie." Ben nodded as he sipped some more of his punch as the Mills siblings got ready to go.
Later on, Emma came to see the teenagers who were talking. "Evie, it's getting a bit late," she soon told the girl she needed to speak to. "We should get you and Henry home before your mom finds out. That won't be pretty." she then suggested.
"All right, let me just say goodbye to Ben first." Evie nodded before she walked over to see her friend who was being social for once since he was often either working in his father's shop or studying his butt off at home if he wasn't in school.
Emma nodded before she soon saw David as Evie came to tell Henry to get ready to leave while Dee Dee replied with "Aww!".
"Hey, Henry. Leaving already?" David then asked the boy.
"Yeah. Gotta get home and do homework." Henry replied.
David nodded before he looked over at Ms. Blanchard, but looked a little distant about it.
"She's kinda tired," Emma soon said to David. "I think if you just give it some time-"
"I just wanted to-" David started to say.
"Hey, Henry. Why don't you and Evie head home with David?" Emma soon suggested.
"Okay." Henry then said.
"Sorry." Emma said to David quietly and very apologetically.
"Okay." David replied.
"Come on, let's go get Evie." Henry told David before going right over to his sister as she was talking to Ben.
Emma then watched them go before she sighed a bit until Mr. Gold suddenly approached her.
"Hard to let him go, isn't it? Your son." Mr. Gold noted to Emma as he made a mysterious entrance.
"Yeah. Pretty much the hardest thing," Emma replied as Jordan was soon snooping around, taking out a notepad to publish to the school newspaper, being very nosy like her father, Sidney Glass. "Speaking of something we weren't talking about, was it you?"
"Was what me?" Mr. Gold then asked.
"Did you make Kathryn suddenly materialize? 'Cuz it sure played that way to me," Emma explained suspiciously. "Was that the magic you were going to work? Because if you kidnapped that poor, innocent woman, just to let her go-"
"Are you proposing I'm working with Regina, or against her?" Mr. Gold interrupted curtly.
"I don't know. Maybe, diagonally." Emma replied.
"Well, you keep working on that one," Mr. Gold retorted before he soon pointed over to August: the mysterious strange of Storybrooke. "My question's about something else; what do you know about him?"
Emma looked over before she then explained what she knew about the stranger. "Goes by August. He's a writer. Typewriter wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in stubble. Why?" she then asked after explaining about August.
"He was poking around my shop today, Benjamin told me," Mr. Gold then said before he made his own personal notes. "August Wayne Booth. Clearly a false name. There's one thing I know about, it's names."
"Writers go by pseudonyms," Emma defended calmly. "What does it matter?"
"You trust him?" Mr. Gold then asked.
"Yeah. A lot more than I trust you." Emma replied rather coldly.
Mr. Gold then caught his son alone and decided to approach him. "Benjamin." he then greeted.
"Huh? Oh, hey, Dad," Ben replied. "Having fun?"
"Yes, I am. And how about you?" Mr. Gold nodded.
"Pretty good fun," Ben said with a small smile. "It's really good to see Ms. Blanchard happy again."
"I see," Mr. Gold replied with a smile in return. "Listen, I have some urgent business to attend to."
Ben then put his cup down, about to get ready to leave the loft.
"Oh, no, it's all right, Benjamin. You don't have to go with me," Mr. Gold reassured as he stopped his son, knowing what he was about to do. "If you're ready to go home though, make sure you remember to thank Ms. Blanchard for inviting you and if I'm not back home yet, lock the door behind you. You have some fun today."
"Uh... Well... Okay. Thanks, Dad," Ben replied softly. "Thanks."
"Who says I'm not a nice man, huh?" Mr. Gold chuckled warmly as he ruffled up Ben's hair a bit. "I have to run along, but I'll see you at home, okay?"
"Okay, Dad. See ya." Ben nodded as he picked his cup back up then.
Mr. Gold nodded and he then hobbled out of the party before narrowing his eyes in determination. Ben shook another chill, but he decided not to worry about it too much as he let his father do what he had to and decided to hang around the party a little longer, enjoying his freedom as a teenager as much as possible.
Later on, Carlos was shown to be looking a bit miserable as he was still at the church and Jane sat with him to keep him company due to the news that they found out about. They hadn't seen anyone else today as Jane just decided to hang out with Carlos to help soothe him for as much as she could. Mother Superior even told Carlos that he could stay as long as he needed to in the church as long as he didn't do anything inappropriate with Jane, but she didn't think that he would as he was usually a very nice and quiet young boy before she had to excuse herself to talk to a certain visitor and had another one right after the first had left.
"Mother Superior. Good afternoon." Mr. Gold greeted the woman in charge of the church.
"Our rent is paid in full." Mother Superior soon told Mr. Gold before he could do anything heinous.
"I'm not here about the rent." Mr. Gold clarified.
"Well, good day to you, then." Mother Superior then said, about to leave.
"Tell me," Mr. Gold then said, stopping her instantly. "That man who just left here... Who did he say he was? What did he want?"
"I don't have to tell you that." Mother Superior retorted strongly.
"And I don't have to not double your rent or have Jane taken away to Social Services. What did he want?" Mr. Gold reflected firmly.
Mother Superior looked alarmed by that retort, especially about Jane who was always like a daughter to her and the other sisters. "Advice and counsel. He came to town looking for his father after a long separation, and he recently found him." she then explained as calmly as she could in a way that wouldn't get her in trouble.
"Ah. And a happy reunion has already taken place?" Mr. Gold then guessed.
"No. He hasn't spoken to him yet." Mother Superior shook her head.
"And why not?" Mr. Gold then asked.
"Mm... It was a difficult parting," Mother Superior replied patiently. "There are many issues to be resolved between them."
"I see," Mr. Gold replied before looking over to see Jane and Carlos together. "What is young Mr. Hellman doing here?"
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Mother Superior replied. "He lost his parents just recently... They were visiting friends on a romantic couples' vacation together, but the house they were staying in caught on fire and they didn't survive."
"Oh..." Mr. Gold said softly, wincing at the idea of parental abandonment. "Be sure to send him my sympathies."
Mother Superior was surprised to see and hear this side of Mr. Gold before she then nodded. "Yes... I will..." she then said. "Now is there anything else I could help you with?"
"No, thank you. You've done enough." Mr. Gold said before he then decided to leave.
"Very well... See you later, Mr. Gold." Mother Superior then told the man.
"Much later, I'm sure..." Mr. Gold whispered as he left the scene.
Mother Superior nodded before she went to go back and check on Jane and Carlos.
Mr. Gold soon knocked on Archie's door, deciding to see the redheaded man next. He waited for an answer and was about to go before he was suddenly stopped.
"Mr. Gold? Are you here for the rent?" Archie asked once he answered the door.
"Why does everyone ask that?" Mr. Gold soon asked, sounding slightly agitated at that question.
"Well, because you, uh..." Archie stuttered before he decided to just ignore the question. "Never mind. Would... Would you like to talk?" he then offered.
Mr. Gold looked a little soft then. "...I don't know."
"Well, um... If you'd like to get something off your chest, please come in." Archie then offered as he could sense that the other man had something weighing on his conscience.
Soon, the two of them went to sit in Archie's office as Mr. Gold soon explained what was going on.
"Another son? Wow, I-I didn't know you had other children," Archie replied in astonishment. "How... How old is he and does Ben know about him?"
"Let's start with something easier." Mr. Gold then suggested once he got comfortable.
"O-Okay. Um, what do you mean to say that you may have found him?" Archie replied and then asked.
"Let's just say, there's someone acting the way I would expect them to act." Mr. Gold replied.
"So, you... So, you recognize him?" Archie then asked.
"Maybe. Or, perhaps, I'm just seeing what I want to see," Mr. Gold said softly. "I don't know."
"Okay, well, I mean, wouldn't he recognize you?" Archie then decided to ask.
Mr. Gold sighed sharply. "There was conflict that happened long before Benjamin was born. I'm not sure he's ready for a tear-soaked reunion." he then explained.
"So, he sought you out and he's hanging back?" Archie then asked before he tried to offer some suggestions. "Maybe, he's watching to see if he's welcome. Looking for a sign that all is forgiven."
"No, no, no. He's not the one that needs to be..." Mr. Gold replied, feeling hurt about a certain thing in his past that happened before Ben was born. "I think he might still be very angry."
"Anger between a parent and a child is the most natural thing in the world." Archie replied softly.
"I think he might be here to try to kill me." Mr. Gold then said.
Archie winced slightly as that sounded pretty bad. "Ah. Right. That's... That's not." he then said.
"I let him go. I've spent my entire life since trying to fix it, and now, he's finally here," Mr. Gold replied. "And I just don't know what to do or how to explain it to Benjamin."
"Be honest. Just tell your other son what you told me, and ask him for forgiveness," Archie advised. "And when you're face-to-face, you'll know what to do. Give it some time before you tell Ben about the brother he never knew about and I can always help you with him too if you absolutely need me to."
"Honesty's never been the best color on me." Mr. Gold shook his head.
"There's no other way." Archie replied.
Mr. Gold looked thoughtful before he soon left. On his way out, he took out his phone and dialed a certain number before he waited for an answer on the other line as he put his phone to his ear.
"Hello?" Ben's voice answered.
"Benjamin." Mr. Gold soon stated.
"Dad? You okay?" Ben then asked. "I was just about to finish up some homework after leaving Ms. Blanchard's party. Do you want me to go to the store?"
"No, Benjamin, that's quite alright," Mr. Gold reassured. "I'm going to be much later than I thought I would be. Help yourself to pizza or something at Granny's on our tab, but I want you to be in bed before I get back home, all right?"
"Yes, sir..." Ben replied with a nod.
"And make sure you lock the doors and windows," Mr. Gold then added to his teenage son. "I'll tell you what's going on as soon as I can. Stay out of trouble, young man."
"Yes, sir." Ben nodded.
"All right... I'll talk to you later then," Mr. Gold replied. "I love you."
"Love you too, Dad." Ben replied.
"Okay. Goodbye." Mr. Gold then said.
"Bye. Talk to you later." Ben said before he hung up then.
Mr. Gold nodded as he also hung up, then pocketed his phone as he went to carry on with his next task which would be found out about later. However, as he was on his way out of the building, it was dark and he soon ran right into Evie. "Ah... Young Miss Mills... What a surprise this is..." he then greeted.
"Oh... Uh... H-Hello, Mr. Gold..." Evie replied sheepishly as she had a rose in her hands. "I was just taking a walk."
"By yourself in the middle of the night?" Mr. Gold asked in concern.
"It's just something I do sometimes..." Evie said softly with a nod.
Mr. Gold looked at her. "I think you should head back home," he then said before looking over. "And what is that rose for?"
"It's... For my mother," Evie soon said, though it seemed to be false. "...L-Listen, Mr. Gold. I need to go right now."
Mr. Gold glanced at her as Evie ran away suddenly before he sighed and shook his head before he went to continue with what he had planned that evening. However, as Evie darted away into the night, she could see the cemetery coming into view. She looked around to make sure no one had seen or followed her before she went over to one gravestone before she took a deep breath and let it out shakily. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say as she already felt creeped out being in the cemetery which was a usual hang-out spot for people like "Creepy Claudine" before she looked for a certain grave and just left the rose without a word and then ran off suddenly. The grave she had visited was of course "Graham Humbert". Jane had advised Evie to talk to the grave, but she couldn't bring herself to and just hoped that wherever Graham was right now that he would forgive her.
Meanwhile, Emma soon arrived back at the station, where she found Regina waiting for her.
"Congratulations, Sheriff Swan. There's about to be a big break in your case," Regina greeted. "You just got yourself a confession, but, I want you to listen to the whole explanation, so you understand why this happened."
"Oh, I'll hang on every word you say." Emma replied.
Regina nodded. "Sidney. Jordan. You can come in now." she then prompted.
Soon, the Glass father and daughter entered the room.
"You brought in a kid too?" Emma then asked once she saw Jordan.
"Not just any kid." Regina replied.
"Jordan Glass: future reporter for the-" Jordan soon began.
"Sweetie, give it a rest," Sidney interrupted with a sigh. "Eyewitnesses just get annoyed by that."
Jordan then huffed and pouted before crossing her arms as no one seemed to like her catchphrase.
"Tell her what you told me." Regina soon told Sidney while Jordan got her notepad ready to share this sort of news with the students of Storybrooke High.
"It was me. I confess. I abducted Kathryn, and I held her in the basement of an abandoned summer home by the lake," Sidney soon explained to Emma. "I bribed a lab tech to get me the heart from the hospital, and I used that same person to doctor the lab results and my daughter has my consent to send this to the school newspaper."
"And the other thing." Regina then prompted Sidney.
"I... Borrowed some skeleton keys from Regina and... Planted the knife in your apartment." Sidney then added.
"My keys," Regina repeated sharply. "Can't help but feel personally violated about that part."
"I am supposed to believe you did this for why now?" Emma then asked Sidney.
"I was going to find her after the conviction, be a hero," Sidney explained. "Then, get the inside track on the biggest story to ever hit this town. I'd get my job back and send my daughter to a good college. Plus, a novel, and a movie, and... I don't know. It sounds crazy now."
"I don't know about crazy," Emma then replied. "But false, yes. False as hell."
"I have maps to where the house is," Sidney then informed. "You'll find chains in the basement. Lots of fingerprints, I'm sure; hers and mine, but, I didn't hurt her."
"The man has obviously suffered some kind of mental break," Regina then said. "He clearly hasn't been himself for a while."
"Yeah. It's like his words aren't his at all." Emma said, almost suspiciously.
"Wow. You are so sold on your own rush to judgment that you can't even see the truth anymore." Regina scoffed.
"Juicy~" Jordan chuckled as she took her notes.
Emma then decided she had enough. "A word in the hallway, please." she then requested to Regina.
Soon, the two women met in the hall alone. Jordan was about to join them until Sidney put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head as that was probably not a good idea.
"Well, that's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard." Emma soon told Regina with a huff.
"I'm pretty sure that's not true." Regina retorted.
"That poor man and his daughter," Emma then said firmly. "I know you are behind all this. I understand that you own the game and that you've set the board so that no one else can win, but I am about to start playing an entirely different game. I don't care about what happens to you. I don't care about what happens to me. All I care about is what happens to my kid. And you are going to leave him alone." she then concluded.
"Am I?" Regina scoffed.
"Uh-uh. I'm talking," Emma retorted snidely. "You're a sociopath, lady. You tried to take away someone that I love. And now... I'm going to take away someone you love. I am taking back my son and I'll take Evie too if I have to." she then added.
Regina gave Emma a long look as this was going too far and really getting out of hand between the two of them. Taking Henry was one thing, but Evie too when she wasn't even Emma's birth child like Henry was?
"You say that you love Evie too, but sometimes I think she deserves a lot better than you for a mother." Emma then narrowed her eyes before that was the end of that.
Regina just narrowed her eyes in response.
Later that night, Evie found herself in some sort of dark and ominous room that she didn't recognize. She could hear herself breathing rather shallowly and her heartbeat echoed a bit as she looked around, climbing through the dark room as she didn't see anything. Her heartbeat and breathing were the only sounds before Evie came to a stop and found a man standing over a ledge who had his back at her.
"Evie... How could you do this to me?" The man asked, sounding slightly familiar, but she couldn't place it at first.
"W-What? Who are you?" Evie asked as her voice echoed. "What are you talking about?"
"I know you didn't like me, but you didn't have to let her kill me..." The man then said, keeping his back to her at first. "And now thanks to you, I'm going to a land of eternal suffering."
"Well, whatever I did to you, I'm sorry, but I don't even know who you are!" Evie replied, sounding sad and desperate. "Just tell me what's going on and maybe I can help make it better!"
"You've already forgotten about me? How sad and pathetic... And we called you the smart one..." The man huffed and scoffed. "Well, allow me to refresh your memory." he then slowly turned around and faced her to show a very familiar face now and now Evie understood who he was.
"Graham!" Evie gasped.
"Oh, so you do remember me, Evie..." Graham replied sharply. "I'd be touched in the heart if your mother didn't rip it out of my chest and crushed it!"
"No..." Evie whispered shallowly as she backed away. "G-Graham, I'm sorry! I didn't want you to get hurt by Mom!"
"Too late... It's your fault that I died..." Graham sneered. "We could've been a happy family together, but now I'm dead... AND YOU'RE GOING WITH ME SINCE THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"NO! Graham! Please!" Evie cried out before he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm and started pulling her. "Let me go! I'm sorry that you died!"
"Sorry, Evie, but you have to pay for betraying me," Graham snarled like a wolf as he continued to pull on Evie. "Well... Ladies first."
"Ladies first? W-W-Where?" Evie then asked, sounding very scared. "What's going on?"
"The land of eternal suffering... Maybe you'll find your father down there waiting for you..." Graham narrowed his eyes, sounding very dangerous right now before he pushed Evie right off of the ledge suddenly.
Evie yelped and cried as she grabbed onto the ledge, hanging on for dear life. Once she looked down cried from her fear and concern, there were burning hot flames raging down below and they were getting bigger and spitting embers and sparks out. Graham was soon glaring right down on Evie and stamped down on her hands to make her let go.
"OWW!" Evie cried out as that really hurt as she suddenly slipped and fell right down, breaking her nails and screamed as she was falling down and could feel the hotness of the flames about to consume her, screaming as she fell right against the fire.
Evie then gasped and panted as she quickly shot up in her bed, waking up in a very hot sweat and looking around. She then held her head, forgetting where she was for a fraction of a second before looking around with wide eyes as she panted heavily before she saw that she was back in her bedroom. She then looked relieved, but still pretty scared before she frowned and then looked down and then decided to come out of bed and soon went right to her mother's bedroom, opening the door before walking over and coming to sit down on her mother's bed as the woman was still sound asleep until she sensed another presence.
"What?" Regina muttered before she sat up and looked over at her teenage daughter. "Evie?"
Evie looked over with a sad pout as she looked very shook up and uncomfortable right now after sleeping.
"...What's wrong, Evie?" Regina asked as gently as she could. "Bad dream?"
"Uh-huh..." Evie replied shakily as she nodded and looked back at her mother. "Is it okay if I stay home from school today?"
Regina looked soft before she then nodded, deciding to let Evie stay home as that sounded like a good idea. She wasn't sure what her daughter had dreamt about, but it looked very scary, even for a teenage girl to go through.